Hearts Prevail
by Seobryn-El-Kaiser
Summary: A Boy who lost everything to the Grimm. A Genius but introvert Huntress-to-be. Travel back in time to witness the Rise and Fall of Nemo Niemand and Cinder Fall. One destined to die, while the other to fall from grace. Shall they truly find what they seek? Rated:M as it later contains highly detailed parts of violence, various cursing, and perhaps a few lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Roosterteeth, nor do I own Monty Oum (Praise be to him) and RWBY**

**Please R&R**

**A/N: Just a Quick Note here. This is my very first FanFic, that I decided was worthy of being published. I hope it's to your guys liking. I feel that Cinder should be seen in a light that isn't all evil. I mean, she must have a reason to become evil and seek to do harm to Remnant. Anyway, This Fanfic will go back to Cinder's years as a Huntress-to-be at Beacon before she goes rouge. Don't worry though, I'll make sure that it hits Season one eventually.**

**Chapter 1: Tears and Memories**

**?, Remnant**

"Watch your back!"

"Understood!"

The sound of gunfire and steel clashing upon bone and flesh echoed through the corridor. The sound of a dying alpha Beowolf prevalent throughout the clash, two figures stand next to each other bathed in blood. Another figure stands up from the darkness to aim a metallic cane at the two figures. And a pained yell echoes out.

"NEMO!"

"RUN! RUN AND LIVE WHILE YOU STILL CAN!" The pained voice of a male shouted, lighting a beacon to the horde of Grimm that burst through the meager barricade that the two had set up earlier.

The female figure began to run only to stop to turn around and watch the last stand of the one who would stem the tide of Grimm. A few words echoing out from the figure as his long blade cutting down the Grimm that attempted to surround him. A shorter sword hung in his bleeding left hand as he fired and stabbed at the rising wall of dead.

"My life is measured by the actions I take; let it be known that it is not by the choices of others, if I am to die here and now! Then I regret not taking you with me!" He drops the long blade and holds his right hand up as if he were to throw a spear and suddenly the air tasted metallic as electricity concentrated into his hand, but that wasn't enough soon the electricity began to glow orange as it began to illuminate its surroundings in a brilliant glow. He threw the light spear towards the ground and a brilliant flash of white engulfed the man and the Grimm.

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><p>A pair of Amber eyes shied away from the light as it hit her. Her dress briefly lifting up due to the shockwave of the blast, its crimson and sunlight yellow hues matching that of the man who now lay on the ground, his face covered in the shadows and soot from the fighting. The Amber-eyed woman nudged the man gently as tears began to form in her eyes.<p>

"Nemo? P-please don't die! Don't die on me now! We were so close… We were so close to the exit… Why now!? WHY OZPIN!? YOU SAID IT WOULD BE FINE!"

The woman cried out in pain and anger. She lay on top of the body and cried, her sobbing echoing throughout the hallway. A metallic _clack _of a cane as it the figure walked up behind her.

"Well hello beautiful~ Mind if I stay here?" The figure asked. His bright orange hair a dead giveaway to what he would become to be in the future, his signature cane was at his side as he looked at the dead body in front of him. As if his interest was piqued only for a minute. Before unceremoniously firing his cane into the body, setting the already burnt corpse alight.

The woman was now in shock as her pale skin and raven black hair was illuminated by the light of her dead friend? She looked at the man and fire crept up her arms as she stood up.

"Why?"

The man looked at her, now interested.

"How about a proposition, we work together to bring whoever did this" as he points his cane at the blazing fire, "Down? Now what do you say?"

The woman's ember eyes glared into the man's for only a moment before nodding.

"Fine, but only until we bring Beacon down around that bastard's ears, he deserves what's coming to him." The woman said, her voice now filled with anger and hate.

Though on the inside a small flickering light continued to shine even though it was surrounded by ever growing darkness, only to bring her back or to push her up when she feels alone in the world.

* * *

><p><strong>Modern Day, Remnant<strong>

Mercury and Emerald look at Cinder questioningly. They watch as their fearless leader twists a ring around her finger and makes sure that the feathers on her waist are nice and orderly. Her form unchanged even through the years.

"Hey Cinder?" asked Emerald fearfully.

"Yes?" came the reply

"What's up with the ring and feathers? Not meaning to intrude or anything but are they from Roman?" Emerald nervously looked at her leader, her usual confidence and upbeat attitude gone in a flash as Cinder's amber eyes glare back at her.

"Roman is nothing to me. Only a pawn for me to use, but yes these are gifts from someone who was very dear to me." Cinder's eyes become distant but for only a moment as she gazed at the ring longingly. Old memories stirred up as she gazed into the ring's surface, happy and fond memories of a man who became her world.

Mercury's eyes went wide, this was unheard of! Cinder actually having human emotions? Simply impossible! She was the harshest, most ruthless person he knew in all of Remnant other than Roman Torchwick when he was ordering around the White Fang.

"What was his name?" Asked Mercury now, wanting to know more about him. The man who made _the _Cinder Fall 'fall' for him.

"Nemo Niemand." Cinder simply said, her voice now much more gentler than the usual sultry and harsh tones it contained.

"What? Nobody Nobody?" asked Emerald who quickly translated the name.

"Don't call him, Nobody!" Cinder shouted, her Aura flaring as her anger was barely contained. Causing the two to hug each other for fear of Cinder's retaliation, Cinder's amber eyes containing what looked like to be tears? Perhaps the man was more to Cinder than what the two originally believed.

"He was a great man! A hunter of the highest class! He was everything to me! My protector! My knight in shining armor! We were supposed to be married now! He gave me everything… Including his life so that I can go on…" Cinder's aura dimmed significantly as her shouting becoming a low whisper. Tears now visibly running down her face, every rumor, every word said behind her back, every whisper about the woman that was Cinder Fall seemed to dissipate as Mercury and Emeraldwatch her collapse into a sobbing wreck.

Emerald quickly kneeling down to comfort her leader, it was extremely rare for Cinder to show any emotions other than her usual dark emotions. But who was Nemo Niemand? The question echoed between the two as if knowing this man, they would know who Cinder Fall truly is.

Cinder on the other side continued to cry as some words echoed through her head.

"_Cinder, when this mission is over… Do you want to retire from being a Huntress?"_

"_Perhaps. Why do you ask?" Cinder's voice replied, much gentler than before and much less flirtatious._

_The shadowy figure gets on one knee, causing Cinder to gasp as he opens a box containing the exact ring she was wearing._

"_Well, Cinder Fall, the Ember that keeps me going. Shall you become the spark that lights a new life? Will you be my wife, Cinder Fall?"_

"_YES! A thousand times Yes!" Cinder barely spoke the words as she hugs the kneeling figure. Taking the ring and allowing the figure to slip it on her hand._

"_It's etched with dust manipulation glyphs. Something that will help in combat and something that goes along with the feather satchel I gave you. It should suit your fighting style quite well."_

_The distorted male voice said. _The memory begins to pass as another echo from the past rises up.

"_My life is measured by the actions I take; let it be known it is not by the choices of others, If I am to die here and now. My only regret is not taking you with me!"_

Cinder began to sob once more, pulling her head deeper into her knees as she remembered that brilliant flash that took the life of her fiancé and a hundred or so Grimm.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: RWBY is rightfully owned by Rooster Teeth and its Creator Monty Oum, Any other characters who are not part of the RWBY Franchise are either References of things I do not own, or part of my OC Cast.**

**Please R&R**

**Chapter 2: Fortuna To those who lose all**

**A/N: Thank you if you read this, thank you if you even take a glance at this FanFic. Hopefully I started this FanFic off with a Bang. Otherwise I'm going to have to try even harder. Anyway if you haven't already guessed, this is going to be a FF will follow but may add or remove certain parts of the original to keep it within plot. Yes it's a romance, yes it's a OCx Cinder Fall, and yes there are many OCx Cinder Fall FFs. But this one will hopefully stand above the rest. Thank you if you read this, more to you if you review because I could sure use all the help I can.**

_Memories Faded Away Upon Branches_

_A Single Ring to Hold Me Sane, Scarred and Broken_

_Fall Follows Nobody_

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><p><strong>Remnant, Modern Day<strong>

**Your name?**

"_ _!" Shouted a voice, it's tone filled with resistance and anger.

Suddenly the voice screams out in pain.

**What is your name?**

"M-Masamune…" Whimpered the voice, now broken and weak, the voice's body weakened by the ministrations of the loud voice inside his head – too weak to fight back any longer, too weak to hold on to any memories of the past.

**Good. Your name is Masamune, the last apprentice to Masamune Alonne. Your only job is to create weapons of the same caliber as your master. Your mind may forget, but your body will never let his teachings pass on. You must pass Alonne, for when you do, that is when you may be free. Eventually.**

"…" The voice was silent, its will broken and perverted from its original flame. No longer was _, All that remains is Masamune. The only things that lay unbroken were his weapons and armor. And the ring, the ring that Masamune holds so precious. He kept it safe from the voice in his head. The voice that caused him pain and kept him locked in this Oum forsaken room. The Ring promised him peace and happiness, if only he could find its twin. The ring whispered hope to Masamune. Maybe if he could escape.

Masamune was dressed in all white gauze, the bandages were said to help with cellular regeneration. From what Masamune saw from underneath the bandages he only hoped that the Voice that told him that was speaking true. He could move his legs but the Voice said that he should not leave the wheelchair, for it protected him from the dangers that the ground would present to him.

But the ring, that ring that told him everything would be safe. The ring that kept Masamune sane, the ring that promised him to find the woman who plagued his sleep and all shall be right and just in the world. The Ring promised him many of things, perhaps Masamune went insane and he had humanized the ring as something to help him cope with the futility of resisting. But in reality it was his own past that continued to fight back, to bring back the man that preceded Masamune.

Then the Darkness took him. His body tired and worn from the many tortures the Voice gave to him. But in the darkness lay light, light arced with lightning. Something that gave him peace instead of pain, something that was uncovered from the layers of pain the Voice had piled on to keep it buried.

Memories.

* * *

><p><strong>Beacon, 3 months later<strong>

Ruby Rose examined her Crescent Rose's blade was damaged beyond all recognition, a recent encounter with a Grimm that was a bit stronger for the blade to handle. As a result the blade was chipped and had caved in several places. The blade itself appeared to be close to breaking, as if the second Ruby swung the scythe, it will shatter.

Ruby looked at the Forge's entrance, it was larger than the one in Signal, but it was larger. Much, much larger, and the amount of metal and destroyed weapons and armor was astounding. Being a Weapons fanatic Ruby was amazed by the quality and the uniqueness of each weapon. Ranging from Khopeshs, Long-Swords, Halberds, Pikes, Rifles, Pistols, and even a Half made hand held Cannon-Hammer. Ruby jaw-dropped at the amount of demolished weapons that lay outside, even the half-finished weapons were of extremely high quality and even though they were uncompleted-the basic frame of the weapon was still usable.

The RWBY's weapons expert was still gaping at the assortment of weapons that lay in front of the Forge. She peered around the pile of metal into the forge where her eyes widened to the extremes. Inside the Forge were racks upon racks of weapons categorized byeach design and traits. Cannon type ranged weapons in one area, Chain gun types in another, and all meticulously organized to the letter. There was even an area of organized metals ranging from raw ore to super alloys, again meticulously organized to the letter.

Ruby continued to walk around the Forge, the outside seemed to be very misleading with the Forge being several times larger inside and not out.

_Of course, that's not if you consider the forge has a staircase at the entrance that leads down. Hey what's that noise? _Ruby thought to herself as she followed the sound of voices arguing.

"I'm willing to offer you a private workplace, over three billion lien, and a small mining village if you will work for me in Atlas, Mr. Masamune! Now what do you say to that offer?" The voice that belonged a rather large in the hips and belly person, the figure was obviously offering to pay the three billion lien up front as he had a large suitcase opened up on the table.

Who the figure was talking to was a mummy in a wheel chair. The person was completely covered in white medical gauze as he –from the Mr. that the fat man had stated earlier- promptly closed the suitcase and handed it back to the fat business man.

"Thank you. But no, these hunters and huntresses need me to fix, refurbish, and help them create weapons. Now please leave, there is a student here to see me now." The mummy man said as he turned his head to Ruby, his voice strong but gentle at the same time. The Fat man huffed loudly and left, almost shoving Ruby into a rack of armor as his body took up most of the room.

"Now, do you need anything? As you can see I am quite busy working on something." The mummy man stated as he wheeled around to work on something that he had laid upon the table earlier. A blueprint of a new type of armor that combined functionality with aesthetics quite well, it was a mixture of a Knight's plate armor and a Assassin's Robes. The mummy man quietly drew on the blue planning paper as Ruby stood there and watched.

Finally gathering her wits around herself, Ruby brought out Crescent Rose and presented it to the Master Smith. The mummy man examined the weapon and extended his hands so that he may hold the weapon. Ruby feuded within herself whether or not she should hand over her baby to this mysterious blacksmith, she could always make the replacement blade herself but that would take time –and perhaps the Blacksmith may make a much more stronger version if she asked politely-. The Mummy man continued to examine Crescent Rose, making clicking noises if he was pleased and hmms if he was bothered by something. Ruby was quite nervous during his examination.

"I believe all you need is just a new Scythe Blade and that's it. Nothing else seems to be the problem. Do you need me to make a new blade for you or do you think you can make one yourself?" The Mummy Blacksmith asked.

Ruby nodded, she wanted to see how the blacksmith worked and from that she hoped to learn through indirect means through how the blacksmith treated his metal. The Mummy nodded and said politely "My name is Masamune, if that pleases you Ms. Huntress."

_Masamune? As in __**The MASAMUNE**__, the master blacksmith whose weapons are considered super high-class works of art? _Ruby thought excitedly, a blacksmith of the highest caliber had looked at **her** Crescent Rose and had no complaints about it! She hopped up and down as Masamune tried to calm the Reaper down.

"Woah! Calm down! If you keep jumping up and down you might hurt yourself. This is a forge after all." Masamune said calmly.

After Ruby stopped hopping up and down, he wheeled over to a massive furnace where there lay piles of coal and several shovels. Masamune examined Crescent Rose in its scythe form and nodded silently. Ruby on the other hand was as nervous as one could expect when faced with her particular circumstances. Most people would kill to be in her position but right now with the Blacksmith scrutinizing every little detail on Crescent Rose, she hoped that he didn't find any true fault in it. Though the Blacksmith himself didn't really look for any faults, but rather he was examining something that a few smiths can do, examining the soul of the weapon.

Crescent Rose contained every detail he needed to know about the girl that was nervously staring at him, he knew and he didn't care. Such things were beyond him at this point as he let old habits take over. Masamune wheeled over to the ores and began to dig through the ordered piles and drawers, stopping only to take out a few select pieces of ore at a time. When he had a pile of around ten to twelve pieces of ore he wheeled back to the Furnace.

Masamune then chucked his pile of ore into the furnace and sat there. After a few minutes and the sound of the coal already inside of the furnace beginning to crackle and hiss, did the Blacksmith take up the shovel and began to shovel coal into it. The fires inside of the furnace grew hotter and brighter as the furnace flared with each new shovelful of coal. Masamune stopped shoveling in coal, much to the bewilderment of Ruby who had watched a man in a wheel-chair shovel coal into a furnace.

Taking out a pair of tongs now, Masamune brought out a large slab of metal and began to work on it, refining it, shaping it, cutting it, reheating it, and repeated the process in a total of fourteen times. Ruby had to go get cookies at one point but she returned to watch Masamune fit the blade onto Crescent Rose. The new blade looked exactly like the old one except for the wavy edge on the blade and the point. The Blade looked much more dangerous than the old one and Masamune once again read the soul of the weapon feeling its memories not changed during the refitting. He was pleased with what he saw and handed it back to the girl.

"Now, don't go trying to kill things that have too much plating on them. The blade may be stronger, sharper, and more durable than the last but it still isn't made for slicing through extremely thick plating. However you may be pleased that your weapon is in tip top shape and ready for combat."

Ruby squealed happily as she received Crescent Rose and bowed a quick thank you before leaving in a trail of rose petals. Masamune smiled kindly as he moved to clean up the small mess the girl had made. It was no consequence though, such things as semblances differed from person to person. Even Masamune had one, though he could not remember how to use it.

He leaned back on his wheel chair and twisted the hidden ring on his left hand. He closed his eyes and prayed he could at least remember something if not anything from his past. Somewhere else in Beacon was Cinder Fall doing the same thing, only she was trying to remember happier times than what was now her present.

* * *

><p>Cinder stared out of the window; she was taking in the breathtaking view of Beacon Academy for Combat training of Huntresses and Hunters. Beacon was a prominent academy to those who wished to fight Grimm on equal terms, to not rely on the help of others and to protect the ones they held dear. But Cinder wasn't here for that last part; she only wanted to get away from her family and with the help of her already advanced Semblance and Aura she rose to the top of her combat school rather quickly. Though by doing so she had socially isolated herself from her fellow peers, some of whom could have offered her help in improving rather than allowing Cinder to experience great amounts of trial and error, but Cinder persevered and here she was.<p>

Cinder brought her sweater up a few inches. She was proud of her Aura and Semblance but the cost of having such a powerful and unique one was more than what she wanted. A large tattoo, that would become her emblem later in life, adorned her back causing the girl grief in more ways than one in some cases. Because of her embarrassment over such a small thing had lead to an avalanche of others. Her dress was mainly composed of light but durable clothing that covered every single inch of her body that wasn't part of her face or neck. She even wore fake glasses in order to stand out less, though they did make her seem smarter at random points of time. All in all she was more inclined to be inept at social interactions than one would expect but regardless of her introvert personality, Cinder had a problem with making lasting friends with people in general. Her usual way of dealing with annoying people was to ignore them until they left her alone, and it _worked_ for the most part.

Near Cinder was a boy her age wearing a straw hat that covered most of his face, it was very wanderer-ish in her eyes. Even his clothing was something that wasn't often seen, only in the more traditional eastern cultures of Mistrial. It was a set of black, white, red and gold robes, if she could call it that, which was underneath a set of armor that suggested that the boy was a front line fighter. But the most intriguing part was his left arm, it was covered in armor that looked very heavy and was segmented throughout the armguard, it was even colored in red and gold as well. His weapons consisted of a shortsword looking weapon on his right hip and a rifle-type weapon on his back, a medium sized pack that she believed carried spare ammo and specialized dust bullets. Cinder examined the boy for an emblem or a symbol but found none as he turned to look at her now. His bright storm-grey eyes suggesting he was examining something of interest or even something new.

Cinder blushed lightly as the boy continued to stare into her amber eyes, she wasn't used to this kind of scrutiny, as she turned her head away from the boy-this causing him to chuckle quietly and turn his attention back to the windows of the transport. His arms crossed over his chest and he muttered something about flowers or something.

_Is he okay? I don't think normal people mutter something about flowers to themselves. Maybe if I ask what is up with him, then he may answer me. Though he seems a bit scary, I wonder what's up with his hat. Is that like a thing people wear in Mistrial? Ugh, Should I ask him his name? I wonder wha- _Cinder's thoughts were interrupted as a beautiful blonde woman appeared on the nearby glass pillar.

"Hello and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world. As that will be your call after graduating Beacon. And once again, Welcome to Beacon." Was all that Glynda said as her image faded out of the pillar.

Cinder smiled briefly causing the boy next to her to chuckle, albeit in a rather loud manner.

"What's so funny?" Cinder asked, her face blushing brightly as she stuck her hands out to the sides.

"Nothing, other than you look cute when you smile." The boy said with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes. "By the way, my name is Nemo. What's yours if I have the permission to ask?"

"C-Cinder." Was all she managed to stutter out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: RWBY is rightfully owned by Rooster Teeth and it's Creator Monty Oum, Any other characters who are not part of the RWBY Franchise are either References of things I do not own, or part of my OC Cast.**

**Please R&R**

**Chapter 3: Where the Seeds are Sown**

_Follow the Sound of my Voice_

_For it guides the broken, the disillusioned, the hopeless, and the empty-hearted_

_I shall be your torchbearer, your candle-maker, your shield, your sword, and your light in the dark_

_Let not the fear take over once more and I shall come to you willingly_

_Fight for what you love, for those you care about, for the friendships newly made, and for the future of those unborn_

_Break the bonds of those who will try to hold ye_

_And rise,_

Seobryn

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><p>As the transport settled upon the landing pad and opened up the bay doors, the group of students and returning students exited it. Cinder and Nemo went their separate ways after their brief introductions to each other.<p>

Cinder wandered the grounds for a while longer; she wanted to see her new home and wanted to get settled in the amphitheatre, where the new students were being directed. In Cinder's mind, the beauty of Beacon was almost overwhelming. She walked down the wide avenue and looked side to side excitedly, the years she spent studying, practicing, being socially isolated, wait scratch that last part. Cinder sighed as she continued to walk, unbeknownst to her several pairs of eyes began to follow her.

Cinder was deep in thought when she wandered far from where she was supposed to go and was in a dead end. Several deep chuckles were heard behind her as she spun around to see who was making that noise. In front of her were three male students in Beacon uniforms.

"Well, well- ALL THINGS HOLY BY OUM!" the soon-to-be thugs were chased off as Cinder activated her Semblance, her eyes and some parts of her clothing lighting up with glowing golden lines. She conjured fire with her bare hands and was prepared to throw it at the idiots who followed her.

The Beacon students quickly turned away to run away with their tails, one of the quite literally, between their legs. Cinder scoffed loudly and walked out of the dead end.

_Pfft, They call themselves hunters? Easily scared by a little fire… What a bunch of whimps. Now where was the amphitheatre again?_

* * *

><p>Cinder looked at the Amphitheatre sadly as she walked by it to class. Knowing that she had some time left, she walked towards the place where she first walked into during her first day. Memories flying back to her as she stared into the darkness.<p>

Cinder turned around and walked back towards her classroom. She passed the forge on the way, but paid it no heed as she only used dust and her Semblance in combat. But she felt the ring could use a little polishing. Cinder started towards the Forge but a certain red cloak exited the building, Cinder was forced to turn around and marched straight back onto the road.

In the Forge Masamune felt a shiver run up his spine, he turned away from his current project and wheeled himself to the entrance of the Forge quickly and looked out. There was no one outside. He twisted the ring on his finger as he looked around hopelessly.

_What was that feeling earlier? What is going on? Is something coming back to me, Hmmm I guess I will have to take a ride around Beacon. This feeling of nostalgia is something I need right now, something to help me remember my past life other than that brief moment where I spoke with that girl. Cinder was it? _

* * *

><p>Ozpin watched silently as Masamune wheeled away from the forge. He knew exactly who lay beneath the layer of medical gauze but couldn't do anything. The threat of war was looming over Ozpin, and he couldn't take action without having a few back-up plans.<p>

He took a sip of coffee before walking away from the window.

"So, does he know? Does he remember?" A voice said. The body connected to it was covered in shadows in the brightly lit office of Ozpin.

"No. But perhaps it is time we stop taking advantage of his memories. After all he did all the work and you sold everything he made that was useful." Ozpin said. His eyes were staring daggers at the figure in the shadows.

The figure only laughed, a sound that could make even Grimm flinch in fear, and made a gesture as to wipe a tear from its eyes.

"And what? Risk war with Beacon? Ozpin, I thought you were better than that. You understand that if you tell him, I will personally break your neck as you watch your so called 'Beacon' burn. And as the ashes fall, I will take him once more and use him, maybe to kill his so called 'fiancée' and break him permanently. After all, who is in the position to make threats? Me or you, Ozpin?" The voice said with venom in it. The figure got up and left the room leaving Ozpin to grip his mug in anger.

_Unable to do anything yet forced to watch nevertheless. Oh how I wished to have never sent you two to this fate. But perhaps it was already set in stone. _

* * *

><p>Masamune wheeled towards the Beacon Cliffs. He looked at the Forever Fall Forest, its green majesty hiding the horrors that lay deep within. Masamune wheeled forward and accidently bumped into the jump pads. Masamune frowned as he looked at them and felt a bothersome headache enter his head.<p>

Then suddenly, he felt darkness entering his sight as he slumped forward in his wheelchair. The throbbing pain in his head only increasing to force the man into a deeper layer of his mindscape, his subconscious keeping his body in the wheelchair as to not make a scene, the inky black darkness consumed his mind and his sight as he tried to fight to stay awake.

And so the wheel bound man fainted, quietly at the Cliffside, appearing to be looking down the Cliffside in deep contemplation.

…

Cinder entered her 'team's' room and sat down on her bed. Beacon held too many memories for her. As much as she wanted to forget about Nemo, she couldn't as she felt deep within her that he was alive. She hoped that if they met again, that she could explain what happened to her and why she had walked down this road.

He would understand. He _always_ understood her.

Cinder closed her amber eyes and curled up in her bed. Her body seeking the warmth of a body that was no longer holding her, keeping her safe, and making her feel love. Now only memories remained and that was all she needed.

Memories of happier days, days where she still had Nemo.

* * *

><p>Cinder entered the amphitheatre and looked around. The sleeping areas of the males and females clearly marked by the empty divide between the two areas. Cinder walked around searching for her luggage. She found it only to feel a few pairs of eyes stare at her, making her skin crawl as she picked up what was hers. She walked quickly to the bathroom to change into a black and crimson sweatpants and t-shirt.<p>

After changing, Cinder walked to the more secluded part of the females section and settled down. A few yelling voices from the boys' side made her roll her eyes as she now looked over at the source of the commotion.

"HEY MUTE!" One of the more bulging muscles boys said to the familiar figure that had his back faced towards them.

Cinder connected the name to the face as the large hat wearing Nemo turned around. A toothbrush still in his mouth, causing Cinder to chuckle quietly to herself as she continued to watch what was going on.

"Wash you shay? Can'tsh you shee imsh brushing mah teeth?" Nemo said as froth began to appear at the edges of his mouth as he kept brushing his teeth.

"I said, 'Why don't you go sit with the girls? Because isn't that dress a little too ugly for you lady?'" the muscle head laughing along with his friends.

Cinder frowned at the insult that seemed to be indirectly pointed towards her. She looked at the group of boys and stared at Nemo who was now getting surrounded.

And Nemo looked like he didn't even give a single flipping shit. He just stared at the muscle head and suddenly smiled, this action causing the leader to back away in surprise. Nemo suddenly lunged forward, the toothbrush still in his mouth as Nemo brought his hands close to the muscle head's face, making a loud _CLAP. _Smiling still Nemo only shrugged as the surprised jock fell on his ass and stammered his surprise. Now turning to face the others who surrounded him, their faces filled with worry and a bit of fear.

Nemo just stooped down and picked up his rifle-like weapon and pulled out what appeared to be a sword-staff. One of those unusual weapons that served two functions instead of one. The sword-staff's blade was curved, pertaining to the more eastern design, and the grip seemed to be longer than the normal eastern blades that Cinder had seen. What stood out was that the blade itself was different colors, the edge retaining a silver-white color while the rest of the blade was like a blank starry night, a blue-black colored background that held no stars.

Holding his sword-staff nonchalantly, Nemo began to pick up his various bags while throwing said sharp weapon into the air just barely catching it before it impacted into one of the surrounding boys' heads. Cinder just watched this while giggling, Nemo appeared to be more than what met the eye, his skill and control over his weapon was outshined by how Harlequin his acting around the boys were. Accidently tripping over his own shoes, attempting to juggle his own bags, and all while catching the spinning wheel of metal from slicing or impaling one of the boys.

_He is unique, if anything other than insane. _

Cinder giggled as Glynda Goodwitch rushed inside the room to apprehend Nemo and direct him to his locker after he had made one boy piss his pants after an all-to-close encounter with his sword-staff.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: RWBY is rightfully owned by Rooster Teeth and it's Creator Monty Oum, Any other characters who are not part of the RWBY Franchise are either References of things I do not own, or part of my OC Cast. If I did then the season 2 finale would be more action packed and Zwei would be more adorable. **

**Please R&R**

**Chapter 4: Memoirs of the Bandaged Man**

**A/N: Please take note that I will be placing random bits of philosophical craziness that goes on in my head. I will also put random poetry as well for your pleasure. The Sword-staff's real name will be stated in this chapter as well as Nemo's other weapon as well. His first name isn't in Latin for no reason. If you have any suggestions or ideas please feel free to post it in a review or PM me personally. Anything and everything helps make this a better story! Oh yeah, there's a reference here somewhere. People who get it right will get a Personal OC, who will appear in the FF. **

_Break the surly bounds of my humanity_

_Set alight my purity_

_Destroy my insanity_

_For I am, who I am_

_A warrior_

_A poet_

_A monk_

_Everything you do to me is for naught_

_Your armies are dust_

_My armies are not_

_I broke my bonds and now I will shackle you to yours_

_Your purity is kindle less_

_Your insanity impervious_

_You are not who you think you are_

_You are not a leader_

_Nor a warrior_

_Neither a poet nor a scholar_

_Not even the monks say you belong_

_And everything I do to you is multiplied thirty fold_

-Seobryn

* * *

><p><strong>The Amphitheatre, Beacon (Night)<strong>

After Nemo had put away his weapons for the safety of the other students, much to the displeasure of the weapon owner himself, and had returned from his locker with Ms. Goodwitch, was when Ozpin decided to walk upon the amphitheatre's stage. Ozpin took the microphone and looked out into the crowd, his eyes connecting to the few students who he had personally invited to join Beacon academy.

"I'll… keep this brief. You have traveled here today, from the safety of your towns and cities, in the search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But when I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy, in need of both purpose and direction. You assume that gaining more knowledge will free you of this, but your time here –in my academy- will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take that first step and you alone. For when you step outside these walls, you will be faced with the dangers that we have yet to learn of. Even today, we are discovering more and more types of Grimm, each more deadly than the last. It is up to you to protect the precious light of humanity from the oncoming Darkness."

The crowd of new students stared in awe at the Headmaster, who promptly nodded to the students and stepped down the stage. Glynda Goodwitch now stepped onto the stage and took the microphone.

"Students, please have a good rest for tomorrows challenge. It will be among some of the hardest challenges you will have to face in your coming years here at Beacon. Now lights in thirty minutes."

After Ms. Goodwitch and Ozpin left the amphitheatre the Crowd of students stood amongst themselves for awhile before someone in the crowd shouted

"WHAAAA!?"

Causing a ripple of laughter from the crowd, calming the almost tense atmosphere that everyone was going to feel, even Cinder was laughing with the crowd. The crowd quickly dispersed amongst themselves as they formed their groups of friends. The chattering and laughter amongst friends quickly dispelling the remnants of the tense atmosphere, the mirth and merriment spreading like wild fire that even the people with no friends found some that night.

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Day<strong>

As the sunlight came filtering through the windows in the amphitheatre, the students who slept began to rise. Though none as fast Nemo who was already up and at the nearest window stretching his body in a Y shape while saying "PRAISE THE GLORIOUS GROSSLY INCANDESENT ORB OF LIFE!" under his breath, as the warm sunlight hit his body.

Cinder rubbed her eyes as she got up from her sleeping form and looked around. She saw that some of the teachers were attempting to get Nemo to stop trying to jump out the window. She shrugged then laughed as Nemo was holding onto the window frame as the teachers attempted to remove him from the "glorious life expunging orb of light's rays" as Nemo termed it.

_Funny, but a little weird, though maybe he is smarter than he seems-hopefully- I guess it's too early to judge. I don't even know him that well. Well, I do know his name and he knows mine. Could that count as friends? Even the girls that talked to me last night don't even know my name… I guess I'm friends with the weird crazy guy, I think? _

Cinder snapped out of it as Nemo gave up on being a heliophile. She sat up and examined the other students, those that were awake were being handed numbers that corresponded to what time they should leave with the teachers. Nemo was also handed one of these numbers while threatening to bite someone for not allowing him to bathe in the sunlight for awhile longer, earning him a few glares from the teachers as he laughed insanely.

_Nope, definitely insane, most definitely insane… _

A teacher came to Cinder and handed her a tablet that had a number "1" on it.

_So… I am among the first? What does this signify? I wonder what number Nemo ha- Wait why am I even thinking about that insane person. I mean, he isn't cute at all or anything… Wait no, bad Cinder! Bad! _

Cinder shook her head to clear her head, such immoral thoughts and about another student especially one that was insane, of all things her mind could conjure! The gall her mind had on her.

…

Masamune awoke as the wind near the cliff became a lot more colder as night soon came around.

_How long was I out..?_

He looked around and sighed, these memories that are now resurfacing are showing him things that weren't making a lot of sense to him. The question "Who am I?" kept surfacing up as every time someone in his memories speaks to him, their voice is distorted. Except for one, the girl, Cinder Fall – The one whose voice wasn't muted out or static, the one who is centered around his memories. Every time she appeared, his memories were focused on her, and only her, as if she was… _something_ to him.

_But what? What makes her so special? What is Cinder Fall!?_

Masamune screamed internally as he wheeled back to the Forge. He needed something to take his mind off the thought of Cinder Fall. He knew the voice, but the memories did nothing to provide a face to match the voice. Every single person in his memories was only a black blur, nothing connecting and always moving, like shadows they were neither human nor Grimm. Nothing made sense, all he if the shapes were male or female by the voices – but even those were a leap of faith.

…

Cinder listened to Professor Port as he went on about himself slaying a horde of Beowolves with his bare hands, again. She just wrote down notes as the class went by, adding her own personal experiences to them. Detailed diagrams and pin point explanations on where the Grimm's strengths and weaknesses were as well as how to deal with them quickly and efficiently.

Emerald and Mercury on the other hand were busy nodding off in class. Much to Cinder's relief as she herself was also struggling to keep awake. Looking around quickly, Cinder brought out an old journal. Its faded leather exterior held a much deeper secret that only Cinder and one other person knows.

She opened up the journal and flipped through the pages, diagrams upon diagrams, notes, entries, and even samples of every recorded and unrecorded creature of Grimm. Ranging from the passive giants, the Mastadons, to the rarely seen eight headed Lernaens. Cinder began to copy down the Journal's notes into her own. But only the most well known ones, but never fully wrote down the journal's contents on that specific Grimm.

Cinder closed the Journal after she wrote down the last few pages in her notes and hid the Journal in her uniform. Such knowledge of things was to be kept a secret from the world. Even Cinder knew that knowledge if mistreated and mass-produced without certain limitations would be more counter-productive and more hazardous for those who study it. Cinder would not allow the reputation of the writer of the Journal be diminished after all he had accomplished and sacrificed to record many of the creatures.

After all, he had risked his life to protect hers almost all those times when they encountered said creatures. The Bell rang and as the students walked out, Cinder looked out at the Emerald Forest.

* * *

><p>As the first group filtered out in front of the Emerald Forest Cliffs, the initiates are wearing their combat gear and have their weapons on hand. Headmaster Ozpin and Ms. Goodwitch stood in front of a line of metal plates.<p>

The initiates were talking amongst themselves and what challenges they would be facing inside the Emerald Forest. Ozpin held up his hand to get their attention.

"For years, you have been training to become warriors, and today you will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

Ms. Goodwitch continued Ozpin's statement.

"Now many of you have heard about the rumors of the assignment of 'teams'. Allow us to put those worries to rest. You will be assigned your teammates today."

Ozpin nodded to Glynda who stepped back and checked her tablet.

"These teammates will be your partners throughout your life here Beacon. So it is of great importance that you find someone who fights well with you, because the first person you see upon landing will be your partner for the next four years and quite possibly the rest of your careers as hunters and huntresses."

Ozpin took a breath and a look over his initiates and continued

"After you have partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest, and retrieve an artifact then make your way back here. Oh, and of important note please do destroy everything in your path… the danger is very real and you may very well die if you don't do so. Now… any questions?"

The initiates looked at each other and stepped onto the launch pads.

"Good. Farewell for now."

And soon the students were being launched off into the air towards the Emerald Forest one by one. Ms. Goodwitch looked up from her tablet and said quietly "You forgot to tell them about having a landing strategy Ozpin."

"Well, let's see if they can do this one thing without being told."

Glynda sighed and said "I'll remember to remind you for the sake of the other students."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, this got put up late. I hope you all had a wonderful winter themed Holiday! Upcoming is the New Years so happy New Years as well! I wonder if you all got wunderbar presents and gifts! Or if you didn't I hope you had a Wunderbar vacation if you did and Great food if you didn't yet. Anyway as I type chapter 5 as I write this, I hope you guys can review and/or follow/favorite my story. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Creator/God Monty Oum, who is promptly owned by his higher gods/employers Rooster Teeth. If I owned RWBY, Blake would be extra Kawaii. **

**Please R&R**

**Chapter 5: Let the Grimm Fall in Droves**

_Shall you?_

_Hail your Saviors?_

_Herald your Heroes?_

_Vilify your Villains?_

_Persecute your Demons?_

_Follow your Lords?_

_And Fight for your Angels?_

_Never underestimate anything_

_For it shall your end in any way it can_

_Even your Gods can't prevent your fall_

_Seobryn_

* * *

><p>"<em>Heroes are known to be exalted by the weak. But united even the weak can overthrow their emperors. Then the need for Heroes is no longer, thus creating a cycle of the emergence of evil and justice." - The Cycle of Justice and Evil Incarnate, Seobryn<em>

* * *

><p>Cinder activated her Aura as she grabbed a branch; she swung on a branch in order to lose momentum from the fall. Her hands healing from the wood burn she received from holding on to the branch while spinning at high speeds. The branch itself already lay broken on the forest floor behind Cinder. The bark on the branch where Cinder had held on was smoking from the amount of kinetic energy put on it by Cinder.<p>

Cinder peered around at her surroundings, there was nothing making noise which made her worry. Suddenly she saw a pair of red eyes looking at her, Cinder nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw it. The Beowolf came charging out of the forest, its battle howl echoing through the shadows. Cinder jumped back to avoid the first few claw swipes with ease, the Beowolf howled even louder this time and lunged forward in an attempt to grab her neck in its jaws. Cinder dropped the empty phials of dust she was carrying in her combat dress, the empty pieces of shaped glass clinking against the hard ground as she activated her semblance. Her tattoo and parts of her dress lighting up as Cinder's magic began to manipulate the glass and the dust that fell from her hands. Fire sprung up from the red dust and the glass at her feet began to shape itself into her sword-bow. Rushing forward Cinder ducked under another claw swipe and brought her scimitars through the Beowolf's flesh, cutting through the skin and bone underneath like it was nothing. Flames erupting from where the cuts were allowing for more damage with less hassle, hopefully, the Beowolf fell to the ground as the color in its eyes faded away.

Cinder sighed as the Beowolf lay on the ground, its arms cauterized from the inside. She sighed and let her semblance fade, her blades returning to their original form in seconds. She picked up the vials and held on to them. Suddenly there was a howl and Cinder was sent flying into a nearby tree, her eyes wide with shock as the pain that her aura was preventing now surged back into her. The pain was overwhelming as her aura stitched back the slash on her back, an itchy feeling as the skin and muscles knit themselves back together.

_DAMN! Why didn't I hear about that Beowolf? _

Cinder flipped to face the Beowolf only to narrowly dodge the next swing of its claws. The tree missing a large chunk of it as it caused the tree to tilt dangerously to one side. The Grimm continued to swing at Cinder, forcing Cinder to continue to dodge the Beowolf. She back flipped over another swipe-the Beowolf didn't let up on the attacks as it furiously swung to end Cinder's life.

Cinder didn't get a single chance to summon her weapons as the wild swiping of the Beowolf, now Alpha Beowolf upon closer look, prevented her from getting any space to summon her weapons. Cinder was breathing heavily as she ducked under another swipe, she knew she was getting tired and so did the Grimm. The Grimm howled as Cinder summoned her weapon, the glass blades held defiantly in the face of death. The Alpha growled as the glass blades kept it from reaching its quarry, its fur bristling as it approached Cinder only to be repelled by the wild swinging of the tired girl. Cinder took a few steps back only to find she was backed up against a tree, keeping her scimitars pointed at the Alpha.

The Alpha Beowolf howled once more and rushed towards the exhausted Cinder, stopping only when three glass arrows appeared in its skull. Cinder's glass blades now forming into its bow form-she had taken her chance when she saw the Alpha about to howl again. A breath of relief escaped from her lips as she slumped against the tree she was backed up against just a few moments earlier, though she was still cautious about what was going on in the forest. She slumped against a nearby tree, she was _so _tired. Her aura working double time in order to heal the now relevant pain she felt on her back. Cinder struggled to stay awake, summoning her blades and transforming them took a huge chunk out of her Aura, but sleep seemed so welcoming. So. Very. Welcoming.

And darkness embraced the sleeping form of Cinder. The last thing she heard was the sound of something spinning in the air.

* * *

><p>"…H!..."<p>

_?_

"C…E…"

_Who is shouting…?_

Cinder slowly opened her eyes. What she saw was breathtaking. A tall beautiful woman with long silver-grey hair –in a pony tail- and storm grey eyes stood against a tide of Grimm wielding a familiar sword staff. She wore no armor except for a segmented red and gold gauntlet that went all the way up her left elbow. Her eastern attire stated she was a warrior first and a noble woman second, though the amount of soot on the pants would state she was also someone who worked with coal a lot meaning that should could be a blacksmith as well. Cinder noticed that her clothes didn't hug to her every curve like most women's fashion, though Cinder dismissed this as a traditional thing some Mistral cultures have.

Cinder continued to watch the woman wield her weapon with such grace and skill it looked as if she was dancing. Each swing and strike was measured and executed perfectly with no added movement. Cinder attempted to move but realized that someone had put a heavy object on her chest, metal armor to be exact. As Cinder couldn't move she was forced to watch the woman calmly tear through the wave of Grimm.

The woman's blade staff seemed to hum in delight as it was swing in the hands of such a user, its black and white blade shining beautiful arcs of light as it sliced through the air. The woman began to spin the blade staff faster and faster as she continued to wreck havoc and decimation through the Beowolves. Cinder was in awe, not only with the person who had saved her but also with the skill shown.

Cinder continued to watch as the last Beowolf fell to the ground, its left and right arms missing, as the woman sheathed her sword staff on her hip. She then reached into her clothing and pulled out a leather journal, she then took the time to write something down in its pages before noticing that Cinder was awake. Even the woman's stride just screamed "Noble!" The woman smiled warmly at Cinder before removing the heavy armor off of her. She then offered her hand to Cinder who took it with a blush.

Then the woman opened up her mouth and Cinder had the greatest shock in the history of shocks.

"We meet again. Ah…" The wo(man!)'s voice was deep and very much like a man's.

Unable to comprehend what was going on, Cinder's brain simply did what it could do. Faint, black out, or knock self .

* * *

><p>Ozpin stared at the screen and did a spit take, even Glynda was shocked when the wo(man!) appeared.<p>

"Uhhhhhh… Is it strange for me to be strangely attracted to him now?"

"Ozpin… You and I are in the same boat now… Unfortunately"

Ozpin simply nodded and updated Nemo's picture on his scroll.

* * *

><p>Cinder stared blankly out of the window, her arms wrapped around herself as she watched the rain clatter against her window. She opened up her hand and rolled a worn out chess piece around in the palm of her hand. It's faded black paint still clinging on defiantly against the tests of age.<p>

It rolled back and forth in her palm, calming her nerves as she listened to the pattering of the rain. She was lazing around after classes at Beacon as she waited for the Vytal Tournament, all for the plan. Everything she was doing was for revenge, for the blood of Ozpin to lay pooling at the foot of his burning Beacon Academy.

Cinder shivered with delight at the thought of watching the life drain out of Ozpin's eyes as he was forced to watch everything he did burn to dust. Just the thought made Cinder smile, though it turned to a frown when a single thought popped up in her head.

_What would __**he**__ think of this? _

That thought was controversial, he was dead she was not. She cried out for the blood of the man who let her fiancé die.

_But… would he think what I was doing right? _

The thought plagued Cinder. Was the purpose of her revenge foolish? No… It wasn't. Blood for blood, death for death, ashes for ashes, and an eye for an eye-that is what Cinder wanted. She wanted pure unadulterated vengeance for the death of the only person who made her feel safe. Even her very short fling with Mercury was unfulfilling, _his _arms were the only things allowed to hold her close.

_Would he approve of what I have planned? Of the things I have done to get this far? Of the people I've stepped on, threatened and even killed in order to put things in motion? Would he still love me after all this time? After what I have become in order to achieve revenge? _

Cinder continued to listen to the rain. Often he would hold her close and tell her stories and random bits of poetry while he would listen to her go on and on about the various activities and the people she disliked and hated. It was a way for them to get closer

_So close for us to become inseparable… And become infatuated with each other. _

She sighed quietly before getting up and changing into her night gown. It's silk and lace embrace hugged her body loosely but still enough to make her feel warm and comfortable. As she lay upon her bed and rested her eyes, her teammates took the chance to look through Cinder's scroll.

"Pst, Mercury do you really think this is a good idea? I mean what if she wakes up?"

"Then let's hurry up before she does."

Nodding to her fellow accomplice the two quickly searched through the contents of Cinder's scroll, though unable to go through most of it due to security issues. But they found a gold mine with Cinder's photo album. It was filled with pictures of Cinder and a really beautiful woman; her storm grey eyes were lit up with a smile as they posed in front of some class room doors. There even were some pictures of the woman in a dress though her face was filled with annoyance, her storm grey eyes glared at the photographer. Mercury and Emerald continued to look through Cinder's pictures with bright blushes on their faces never paying attention to the napping form of Cinder.

Well… It was quiet until Mercury attempted to send himself some of the pictures of the woman, but instead turned on the alarm on Cinder's phone. Cinder shot up and yawned before looking directly at Mercury and Emerald who still had Cinder's phone in their hands.

"What the fuck are you two trying to do?" Her amber eyes glaring at the two before settling on the image on the screen, it was a picture of the woman hugging Cinder from behind.

"W-what the hell! I take a fucking nap and you two go off and go through my photos?" Her usual voice was out done by the massive blush she was wearing as she attempted to get her phone back.

The result, two burnt mercenaries and one very mad and embarrassed Cinder.

* * *

><p>Masamune accidently burnt himself while trying to make himself some rice.<p>

"OUM FUCKING DAMMIT SHIT DICKS AGHH!" As he sucked on his burnt fingers, the gauze was removed for cooking purposes only.

"Yang, I'm telling you the _Masamune_ is our school's blacksmith! He's _sooo _cool! I mean I can't see his face or anything but that doesn't count when he said that my baby was flawless! I mean the greatest weapon smith of Remnant said that my Crescent Rose was completely flawless!" Ruby squealed to her older, more developed, sister.

The Little Sun Dragon watched the so called "greatest weapon smith" burn himself while trying to make some rice.

"Well, _Rice _to meet you!" She shot off with a grin, causing Ruby to groan loudly and introduce the palm of her hand to her face.

Masamune looked up and nodded respectfully to Yang, most of his attention still on the stupid make shift rice cooker in front of him.

"A pleasure and excuse my profanity as I try to understand why Ozpin didn't include 'electric rice cooker' in my budget." He said politely before muttering "Fucking cheap ass bastard must've used most of the school's budget on his goddamn coffee. Hope he fucking chokes on it."

"Now what can I help you with?" Masamune stated as he turned away from that cursed evil rice and hand burner.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey! It's been awhile since I last updated "Hearts Prevail"! Well we've reached over 500 views! So that really helps me feel special! That also encourages me to write more for y'all! **

**Also we finally get some fucking swear words in this chapter! As well as some, albeit short and very un-descriptive, Combat! We also get to see what Nemo really looks like without his hat... and unfortunately he is probably prettier than almost all the women in Remnant. I mean who does that to a fellow, right? **

**Please Review because anything really helps with improving "Hearts Prevail"**

**Special thanks to : SharpRevan and Guest for those nice Reviews, You two are helping me continue writing this story!**

**Arigato, Merci Beaucoup, Gracias, Gratias, and Thank you very much for reading! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Creator/God Monty Oum, who is promptly owned by his higher gods/employers Rooster Teeth. If I owned RWBY, Blake would be extra Kawaii. **

**Please R&R**

**Chapter 6: In Preparation of the Breakage of Knees**

"_When it comes down to blows, those who are one with their weapons are nigh undefeatable. That doesn't mean they aren't impossible to kill though. Even the greatest and the most masterful can fail due to mistakes. Skills and Wisdom are your greatest assets and tools on the battlefield, never doubt yourself and never give up."_

"_Let others do the doubting, ignore them for they are unworthy of even a second of your time. Instead pay attention to those who do not doubt you, but be wary of the ones that praise thee. Those who do not doubt you but offer no praise are the ones whose worth is measured out in the most priceless of things. Those who only offer praise will always seek something of greater value than what you can offer." _

"_Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum" _

_Seobryn_

* * *

><p>"Well, let's <em>wrap <em>this up then mummy man." Yang said while grinning, ignoring the fact that now even Masamune was introducing his face to the palm of his hand alongside Ruby.

"What? Too soon?"

"Yang, that was beyond too soon."

"Pfft, whatever he _is_ wrapped up in toilet paper mind you."

"Yang, I don't think toilet paper looks like that. By the way, what is that white toilet papery thingy wrapping you up Mr. Masamune?"

Ruby's eyes twinkling as she stared into Masamune's face, though it was mostly covered up.

"Um… This is special medical gauze. Is it bothering you? I can take it off if you wish."

His words were polite and to the point, gentle but not too soft either. Ruby dragged Yang over to one side and they had a 'private conversation' that included plenty of arm waving, face palming, random yet hilarious gestures, and Ruby's puppy dog eyes. Masamune chuckled in amusement as he watched the two go back and forth until Ruby showed Yang her Ember Celica, a large symmetrical slash going down the two of them.

"I don't see what's wrong with them! What's wrong with Ember Celica being a bit dinged up? I say they were a bit of a _slash_ and miss, ehh?" Another pun followed by a groan from Ruby and a loud _SLAP_ from Masamune.

"YANG STOP, PLEASE! You're embarrassing me!" Ruby shouted her face a shade redder than her signature cloak.

Masamune quietly chuckled to himself as he watched the two girls banter back and forth. Both of them shouting at each other only for Ruby to pout at Yang, Masamune found that Ruby's pout was quite adorable but wasn't completely pulled in by the cuteness. Masamune wondered why but continued on a chain of thought.

_They seem close, siblings perhaps? Hm, I will not know until either one of them admits it or I ask, though asking about them being siblings, but wouldn't that be an invasion of privacy. As the Smith of this forge do I really have the right to invade another's privacy? Should I go ask that coffee addict for help? _

"AWWWW~ you're so cute when you pout!" There was a loud _MMPH_, causing Masamune to tilt his head to the side as he watched Ruby get introduced to Yang's large assets. Ruby's flailing arms notified that it probably wasn't as comfortable as they looked. Though the flailing only made Yang squeeze her unfortunate friend/sibling further into her rather generous assets.

"YAHG, CAHNT, BREATH" Ruby's voice was muffled slightly. She placed her hands against her friend/sister and pushed really hard. The sound of struggle emanating from Ruby made Masamune giggle slightly; it seemed that whatever Ruby did was adorable.

"Wait… Did he just giggle?" Yang stopped suffocating Ruby for just a second, but that second gave Ruby enough time to push Yang away and get some fresh, glorious, and life giving air. Ruby glared at Yang before yelling at her.

"YOUKNOWIFWEWEREN'TSISTERSIWOULDBITEYOUSOOOHARD!" Ruby's face was red, not with embarrassment but with anger. Pure, yet seemingly adorable, but still very scary fifteen year old girl anger- Masamune began to wheel backwards hoping to avoid getting hit by any random flying objects.

_Ah! They're sisters! That explains it, though I don't know why they're here in the first place. Though deciphering the little one's rapid speech was a tad difficult. Wait, did she just threaten to bite her sister?_

"DID YOU JUST THREATEN TO BITE ME? RUBY, I WILL HAVE TO _PUN_-ISH YOU!" Yang's face erupted into a smile as the look of horror entered the young huntress's face. The amount of red on Ruby's face far exceeded the red of her unique cloak. The look of absolute victory was amplified ten-fold by the cockiness of Yang.

Masamune sighed, and moved to hopefully help Ruby from getting horrendously scarred by her Older Sister's antics.

"Excuse me?" His voice quiet, yet it grabbed the attention of both sisters. Masamune gestured for Ember Celica to be handed over.

"May I have your weapons for repair? If not, I can show you what you can use to repair and improve on it if need be. Now follow me please." Masamune turned around and wheeled down to his organized piles of raw metal and ore.

Yang had nothing to say but followed the quiet smith's order, though Ruby's eyes were shining brighter than a star on a clear night sky. It wasn't often to see Ruby to be excited about watching someone else work, especially for a man that was wrapped up like a mummy.

"You okay there Sis? I mean its one thing to get excited over a new kind of weapon but never to see a person work. I mean you nearly sliced the last person who tried to 'improve' your Crescent Rose. Maybe he had a _sliced_ opinion?"

The sound of a loud _SMACK _came from the face of Ruby. A large red hand-print now clearly visible as she glared at her older sister, it was plainly obvious that she was not amused. Masamune snickered quietly at Yang's troubles; hell hath no fury than a woman's/sister's scorn. Hopefully the small reaper would let her sister go, hopefully.

A silent and powerful chill ripped through Masamune's spine as he felt something amiss. Instead of Ruby screaming and yelling at her sister, she was smiling. If Masamune could pull up any semblance of what was going on, he could probably guess that Ruby was going to give her older sister hell in some way or another. Looking over to Yang, Masamune could tell she was scared- very and completely shocked at Ruby's complete 180.

Masamune chuckled quietly as Yang tried to placate the devil that had entered her sister. Should this evil not be pacified Yang would know only but a small taste of hell, that Ruby was capable of.

"Yang, if you can do this one thing. Then I'll not do _anything_ to you in the near future." Ruby's eyes held a slightly malicious gleam to them as she stared at Yang's fear bitten lilac eyes.

"A-a-alright, what do you want me to do?" Yang's small stutter was a telltale sign that she was a bit nervous of the power that Ruby held over her.

_Wow. I guess having a sibling that could probably kill you is a sobering experience. _Masamune thought to himself as he searched up Ruby and Yang's student profiles on his scroll. He whistled quietly as he read 'Leader' under Ruby's roles and occupations. There were even a few videos of her fighting making it much more understandable to why her scythe's blade ended up like that. It also appeared to dawn upon Masamune that he could have just checked their student profiles earlier in order to check whether the girls were sisters or not. Sighing to himself, he made a note on his scroll that told him that he could just search up students for their profiles. Something was moving up and down in front of his face, it was distracting him until he saw the black sleeves connected to the little black and red reaper.

_Wait... I COULD TAKE NOTES ON THIS THING? WHY HASN'T ANYONE TOLD ME ABOUT THIS MAGICAL LITTLE DEVICE! _

It appeared that Masamune tuned out as he read through both girls' student profiles as Ruby had to wave her hand in front of his face in order to get his attention. Snapping back to reality Masamune immediately said

"Yes?"

Before a pair of gold colored shotgun gauntlets were tossed onto his lap by a slightly ticked off Yang. Picking up and examining the gauntlets Masamune could tell it was a unique and outstanding craftsmanship; it was a simple but elegant weapon not needing any embellishments or any necessary improvements. Now taking a look at the damaged parts of the gauntlets, the slash itself wasn't all too bad, requiring only for him to replace the metal plates that were damaged. The mechanisms for the shotguns were fine as well as the large diamond shaped plates were thick enough to absorb most of the damage. The mechanics of the gauntlets were flawless; a simple revolving ammo belt feeder connected to a single pump action high powered shotgun, the heavy plate acting as strong armor, a pump, and a knuckle duster. The metal making up the damaged plates was a type of gold-steel alloy that was strong enough to resist bending under extreme duress, which meant that the plates were made of gilding metal and high tensile carbon steel folded several times if the faded circles near the edges could tell him anything.

Masamune closed his eyes and opened his Aura. The taste of iron entered the mouths of the two students as the light in the forge began to flare, getting brighter slowly and increasing in intensity.

"W-what's h-happening!? W-why is it so bright? Ruby!? Ruby are you okay!?" Yang had pulled up her hands to try to block out the light, it was a good attempt but one that was futile either way as the light came from all angles from inside the enclosed space of the forging area.

"YANG, THIS IS SOOOO COOL!" Ruby on the other hand was wearing a welding mask, one of many that hung on a wall just outside of the work area of the forge. She grabbed one as she saw the lights getting brighter; it helped having a speed semblance.

Suddenly there was the sound of some coughing and the brightness of the forge sputtered violently and dimmed back into more bearable levels. Masamune was sitting in the same spot, not having moved when the lights began to get brighter, he was wiping his mouth with something and hid it quickly from the two students as they adjusted to the light levels. He wheeled over to Yang and placed his hand on her shoulder, her eyes were shedding tears as they tried hard to re-adjust to the light levels.

"Miss, please blink a lot more. It'll help with dealing with the bright spots. The bright spots will go away albeit slowly. But if you flare your Aura for just a bit, then it will heal your eyes quickly." Masamune's voice was calming and gentle, reassuring the blonde brawler that it was better to do as he said. Yang nodded and flared her fiery Aura, combined with her rapid blinking the bright spots faded away quickly and without time to spare. Though she felt a little weaker than before she entered the forge, her Aura fading when it was no longer needed, Yang glared at the Smith for not telling her what was going to happen sooner. But she stopped when she saw that the Smith had his hand raised in front of her.

"I apologize if you are feeling angry when that happened. Please understand that your counterpart is quite something. I admit that this doesn't happen often, though it is not rare either. What I just did was feel for the soul of your weapon in other words I examined the entirety of the partnership with your weapon and your soul." Masamune paused to let what he said settle in. Masamune was also surprised when the lights became brighter, the connection between Yang and Ember Celica went beyond the extension of one's body like Ruby's scythe but rather it was the unity and creation of Ember Celica's own soul and its entwinement with Yang's. Though Crescent Rose had just as much of a soul as Ember Celica but it didn't feel complete thus creating a divide between user and equipment, only time or an experience so brutal and unforgettable that it was ingrained into the weapon by complete accident or intent of the creator.

"Your bond with your weapon is extremely powerful. If anything it is even stronger than the bond that your sister has with hers. It was an honor for me to see such a powerful bond, and to examine a powerful weapon."

"YANNNGGGGGG! WhyisEmberCelicabetterthanmybabyImeanImademychildfromscratchandyouputyourstogetherfasterthanmewheniusemysemblanceandnottomentionyouhadm- mmphhhh!" Yang's hand clamped over Ruby's mouth as she basked in the praise. It wasn't often when someone noticed the "hard-work" she put into her Ember Celica, of all the hours she put into "working" on the blueprints of Ember Celica. In truth, Ruby doodled up a couple prototypes as a child when looking at some weapon magazines and Yang just happened to be nearby when the base design for Ember Celica appeared. In the short time of three minutes that piece of paper with Ember Celica's base design went missing and Ember Celica was made in the next week, just in time for Yang to get an 'A' for best weapon design for her year until Ruby out-shined her the next.

Masamune tilted his head sideways as he tried to understand what just happened. He couldn't decipher the rest of Ruby's sentence due to Yang's interference.

_Was I wrong to have praised her? What do I do..? _Masamune thought this to himself as Yang continued to bask in the compliment.

"…Anyway, you still need to get your weapon repaired so do you wish to have me work on it or shall you do the work?"

_BAM! Creak... creak… creak… SLAM! "Goddamn that door is heavy. Glad you were with me right, boys?"_

"_Yesss… Cardin"_

Yang paused, she was about to say something until four bumbling oafs wandered into the work area. Cardin and his lackeys sneered at the two girls and the wheel-bound Smith, today unfortunately was "challenge-a-staff-member-to-a-spar" day. Something that the coffee addicted Headmaster thought up of while experiencing the greatest caffeine high in recorded history, seriously that happened. Fortunately it was a luck draw in that only a single team would be chosen, sadly CRDL was chosen out of the many first year teams available. The rules for this day was that the chosen team is able to challenge any member of staff, and should they be able to defeat the said challenged the winning team is allowed to pass said class if the challenged was a teacher or if it was like Masamune's example it would new weapons or armor depending on what he felt like making.

"YO, MUMMY SMITH I'M HERE TO CHALLENGE YOU ON A FOUR VERSUS ONE SPAR." shouted the boisterous leader of team CRDL. Masamune looked at Cardin and asked politely

"Who were you again?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ANNNNNNNDDD DONE! This was a fun chapter to write... Sorry that there aren't any "Memory Sequences" in this chapter. Instead you get a prelude of a imminent CRDL beatdown! I know that recently the Creator of RWBY, Monty Oum, had passed away while in a Coma. It was a saddening experience but having been around death a lot and coming close to losing my own, it kinda desensitizes one to that experience. Monty was a great man, one who had an amazing future ahead of him, but was sadly taken away from this world and into the next. Requiescat in Pace Monty Oum, may the Gods that exist and the land beyond the living are much better than the one you hath departed. **

**NEXT TIME ON "HEARTS PREVAIL" TEAM CRDL GOING GET A MUMMY SMACKDOWN!**

**Remember Read and Review, doing so makes me very happy!**


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